Mother of man suing his parents for giving birth to him ‘without his consent’ says she will accept the blame if he can offer ‘a rational explanation as to how’ she could do that
- Raphael Samuel, 27, has compared having children to ‘kidnapping and slavery’
- On his Facebook page he sends anti-natalist posts to hundreds of followers
- He intends to sue his parents despite having a ‘great relationship’ with them
- Mother will accept blame, if he can tell her how she could’ve sought consent
The mother of an Indian man planning to sue her and her husband for giving birth to him ‘without his consent’ has said she admired his boldness.
Kavita Karnad Samuel says she is happy to accept that she is at fault, if her son Raphael is able to come up with a rational explanation as to how they could have sought his consent prior to his birth.
Raphael Samuel, 27, from Mumbai, believes it is wrong to put an unwilling child through the ‘rigmarole’ of life for the pleasure of its parents, and has compared having children to ‘kidnapping and slavery’.
Raphael Samuel in one of the posts on his Facebook page, Nihilanand, where he posts anti-natalist material suggesting that parents are ‘hypocrites’
His controversial opinions, presented by himself in a series of social media posts where he appears ‘disguised’ in a fake beards and sunglasses made headlines around the world.
His mother has now addressed her adult son’s threat of legal action in a Facebook post.
She writes: ‘I must admire my son’s temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing both of us are lawyers.
‘If Raphael could come up with a rational explanation as to how we could have sought his consent to be born, I will accept my fault.
‘I’m very happy that my son has grown up into a fearless, independent thinking young man. He is sure to find his path to happiness. ‘
Mr Samuel is part of the ‘anti-natalist movement’ which is is gaining traction in India as younger people resist social pressure to have children.
Another of the images on Samuel’s Facebook page. He said he had a ‘great relationship’ with his parents but has compared having children to ‘kidnapping and slavery’
Speaking to The Print Samuel said: ‘I love my parents, and we have a great relationship, but they had me for their joy and their pleasure.
‘My life has been amazing, but I don’t see why I should put another life through the rigamarole of school and finding a career, especially when they didn’t ask to exist.’
Samuel runs a Facebook page called Nihilanand, which has hundreds of followers, on which he regularly posts anti-natalist material.
One image is captioned ‘parents are hypocrites’, with the text saying: ‘A good parent puts the child above is wants and needs… but the child itself is a want of the parent’.
A similar meme posted on the Facebook page reads: ‘If parents truly know what is good for their children… why did they have them?’
Another asks: ‘Isn’t forcing a child into this world and then forcing it to have a career kidnapping and slavery?’
In yet another picture he writes: ‘The only reason your children are facing problems is because you had them’.
Some anti-natalist activists in India also argue that having children is a strain on Earth’s resources and avoid procreation for environmental reasons.
Another activist, Pratima Naik, said: ‘We don’t want to impose our beliefs on anyone, but more people need to consider why having a child in the world right now isn’t right.’
His page, entitled Childfree India, wrote last month: ‘Should we continue to bring more children in this world and accelerate the process of environmental and social degradation?
‘Do you think existence is pain, and not bringing a child into this world, is a guaranteed way to avoid unnecessary suffering to the child?
‘We are a group of people who have decided not to reproduce. We are Childfree Indians!’